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1?..W-EST0'1I. SAFETY STRIP FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

No. 301,030. Patented'Juhe 2 4, 1884.

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* .UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDI/VARD W'ESTON, OF NEWVARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNITED STATES ELECTRIC LIGHTING COMPANY, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

SAFETY-STRIP FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 301,030, dated June 24, 1884.

Application filed February 1, 1884. (N model.)

To all whom, it may concern: inserted in the circuit by placing its edges un- Be it known thatI, EDWARD WVEsToN, asubder metal clamping-plates B 13, forming the j ect of the Queen of Great Britain, and a resiterminals of a severed circuit, the conductors dent of Newark, in the county of Essex and C C of which are here shown for illustration,

State of New Jersey, have invented certain contained in the grooves of a board, slat, or new and useful Improvements in Safety-Strips holder D. for Electric Circuits, of which the following is In the strip are formed, at any stage in a specification, reference being had to the their manufacture, and in any way preferred, drawings accompanying and forming a part insulating divisions E E, which, by prefer- [0 of the same. ence, are parallel slots extending nearly across In a former patent granted to me, I have the strip.

described safety-strips for electric circuits The number of slots for a safety-strip of composed of an alloy that fuses at a comparagiven size may be arbitrary, though I prefer tively low temperature. It has been my practo divide, by the slots, a strip into a certain 15 tice to make these strips of different sizes, number of sections, each capable of carrying each size conforming to a given standard and a given current, so that a person can tell at a designed for insertion in a circuit or branch glance in' what circuit or branch a strip with IllSVlllOh a certain number or kind of devices a given number of slots or sections belongs. is included. For circuits through which very The slots or insulating divisions may, as

2o strong currents are passed, the size of the abovestated, be made or formed in any way safety-strip is necessarily large, and should desired. they be fused by an excess in the flow of cur- I have shown herein a device for holding rent a sudden rupture of the circuit is prothe conductors, and means for connecting the duced that is preceded by a flash or discharge conductors with the safety-strips. These de- 2 5 often destructive in its effects. My object is vices are not claimed herein, as they form the mainly to avoid this, and for this purpose I subject of other applications for Letters Patmake safety strips or plates with slots or dicut. 7 visions across them, by which means the strips I am aware that a number of independent are divided into a number of sections, so that safety-strips have been connected in multiple 0 on fusing, the whole'strip will not melt at are with one of the conductors of an electric once, but will go gradually, one section fusing circuit, and this I do not claim, broadly. after another. What I claim is In the drawings hereto annexed Figure 1 is 1. A safety strip or plate of fusible metal,

a plan View of a safety strip made in accordcontaining slots or insulating divisions, as

5 ance with my invention, and a holder for the herein set forth. same; Fig. 2, a Vertical section on line a a, '2. The safety strip or plate A, composed of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan View of the safetya fusible metal or alloy, and containing the strip detached. parallel slots E, as herein set forth.

A designates the safety-strip. It is to be In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 0 made of any metal readily fused, but prefermy hand this 19th day of January, 1884.

ably of the composition or alloy described by me in Patent No. 259,614. The size or cross- EDVARD section of the strip will vary according to the Witnesses: purpose to which it is to be applied, or the W. FRISBY,

5 current which it is designed to carry. It is H. D. HARTLEY. 

